4 four cups of coffee—protects heart cells from damage

According to a study appearing in PLOS Biology, led by Judith Haendeler and Joachim Altschmied in Duesseldorf, Germany, a physiologically-relevant dose of caffeine—like what is achieved with four cups of coffee—protects cardiovascular cells from damage.
Caffeine has long been known reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. These researchers wanted to know why caffeine does that. And through their research, they found that a mitochondrial protein, p27, protects heart muscles from cell death and helps repair these muscles after a heart attack.
Haendeler said, after the discovery:

These results should lead to better strategies for protecting heart muscle from damage, including consideration of coffee consumption or caffeine as an additional dietary factor in the elderly population. Furthermore, enhancing mitochondrial p27 could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy not only in cardiovascular diseases but also in improving healthspan.

Altschmied notes that this research—along with an extensive list of over 100 studies showing the beneficial aspects of coffee consumption in helping decrease the risk of breast, colorectal, colon, endometrial, and prostate cancers, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and mortality—cancel or overide the assumption that the elderly should avoid caffeine.